From “falling leaves return to their roots” to “taking root locally”: Spatial survival dilemma and social capital paradox of youth groups under the urban-rural dual structure
农村与城市、从“落叶归根”到“就地扎根”：城乡二元结构下中青年群体的空间生存困境与社会资本悖论

摘要

传统乡土社会中“落叶归根”的文化共识，正在城镇化进程中逐渐演变为“就地扎根”的现实选择。这种观念转向的背后，并非单纯的文化变迁，而是深刻的结构性矛盾：四五线城市与县域社会依托熟人网络形成的高密度关系壁垒，使得无背景、无地方性社会资本的返乡者面临生存与创业的隐性排斥；而大城市虽凭借市场化、流动性为个体提供了能力竞争的生存空间，却又以高成本、强筛选的结构性门槛制造了“扎根难”的困境。由此形成“返乡无门、留城难立”的进退失据格局，成为当代中青年群体空间生存的核心悖论。本文以社会资本理论与空间分层视角为分析框架，剖析城乡不同场域的资源配置逻辑，揭示困境生成的制度性与社会性根源，并探讨破局的可能路径。

Abstract

The cultural consensus of “falling leaves return to their roots” in traditional rural society is gradually evolving into the realistic choice of “taking root locally” amid China’s urbanization process. Behind this conceptual shift lies not a mere cultural transformation, but a profound structural contradiction: fourth- and fifth-tier cities and county-level societies have formed high-density relationship barriers based on acquaintance networks, exposing returnees without local social capital to implicit exclusion in survival and entrepreneurship. In contrast, big cities provide individuals with a competitive living space centered on capability through marketization and mobility, yet they also create the dilemma of “difficult rooting” through high costs and stringent structural screening thresholds. The resulting predicament—“no way back to hometown, no foothold in big cities”—has emerged as the core paradox of spatial survival for contemporary youth. Adopting social capital theory and a spatial stratification perspective, this paper analyzes the resource allocation logic in urban and rural fields, reveals the institutional and social roots of the dilemma, and explores potential breakthrough paths.